Exit Calm guitarist Rob Marshall

Yes that is a Pacifica

Guitarist went to see past Fretbuzz featured artist ( Guitarist issue 329) Exit Calm in Bristol last night and we took a couple of pictures while we were there. We've never heard a battered old Yamaha Pacifica used so magnificently (although he told us after the gig that he's still looking for the dream replacement) . At just 21, Rob Marshall is already showing the ability to become a British alternative guitar hero in the lineage of Squire, McCabe and Marr.

Rob setting his rig up

You could be forgiven for thinking Rob's massive sound - and believe us it's even more of a widescreen spectacle live - is driven entirely by the reverb and delay settings of his specially tailored rig (more on that in our Guitarist Uncut interview with Rob Marshall) but you'd be wrong. The instinctive touch and careful manipulation from his hands is the difference that makes him one of the most exciting young players in the country.

As the band now focus on writing their second album (Rob told us last night they already had four songs written for it), we can't wait to see where he goes from here.

Hear more from the Exit Calm at www.myspace.com/exitcalm

Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.